Besides being one of the longest-running TV shows, Criminal Minds is a "tour-de-force "of well-written characters, compelling storylines, and creepy villains. It does an amazing job of breaking down criminal activity under a psychological lens.
The show's strongest point is in its writing of its villains, which demonstrates the terrifying side of a fractured psyche. However, not all of the villains can be winners. In terms of the writing, some of the characters, while horrific in terms of their crimes, can be unintentionally mawkish and over-the-top. To show you the difference, here are five of each.
10 Unintentionally Hilarious: Max Poole
This unsub is just not memorable. Max Poole is a tech worker who snaps one day, possibly due to emotional neglect from those around them. He begins kidnapping and assaulting women, and hangs up "Missing Person" posters of them.
While it's important that individuals like Max receive the psychological help they need, he just comes off as childish. When confronting BAU agents over the phone, he comes off as whiny and petulant. It's no surprise if the viewers chuckle at his attempts at taking charge of the situation.
9 Terrifying: Tobias Hankel
Tobias Hankel suffered horrible abuse at the hands of his father who was religious. Not only did he become addicted to the drug Dialidud as a result, but Tobias' father also talked him into killing him, once the latter fell ill.
As a result, he developed Dissociative Identity Disorder. His second personality, Raphael, killed immoral people (whose acts he discovered through hacking webcams). He would go on to capture BAU agent, Spencer Reid, and torture him for days.
8 Unintentionally Hilarious: Jacob Dawes
Jacob Dawes, along with his wife Sarah Jean, is responsible for the murder of at least 18 young girls. As a carpenter, his torture devices are his tools. He does not experience remorse or guilt and, rightfully so, ends up on the electric chair.
If you look up the word "braggadocio" in the dictionary, you would see Dawe's picture. As horrible as his crimes are, his complete disregard for his fate makes him entertaining and even a little funny.
7 Terrifying: Billy Flynn
The fact that he's played by national treasure, Tim Curry, isn't the only reason this villain is terrifying. He is also a psychopath and narcissistic. He embarks on killing sprees, leaving traumatized survivors in his wake so that his legacy can continue.
After killing his mother, he embarks on a journey of terror. His modus operandi is to play God, deciding who lives or dies. The deadly control that he imposes on his victims, as well as his indifference to their lives, makes him unforgettable as a villain.
6 Unintentionally Hilarious: Cory Bridges
After murdering two fellow high school students, Cory tries to pin the murders on a local satanic group. He injects himself into the investigation for a sense of control and for the credit.
Cory is not memorable as an unsub. His final confrontation with the BAU comes off as a spoiled child having a tantrum about how things didn't go on as planned. His rant is so full of unsuccessful machismo that the viewer would not be judged for laughing.
5 Terrifying: Jeffrey Charles
A serial killer that targets children is unnerving enough. But when the killer turns out to be a child, the creep factor hits an all-time high! Jeffrey Charles deals with severe abandonment issues that lead him to resent other children. The fact that his father is a school guidance counselor only exacerbated this fact.
While Jeffrey's case is a tragic one, it is also extremely disturbing to see a child just as capable of performing horrific acts as an adult.
4 Unintentionally Hilarious: Terrance Wakeland
Under the guise of being a music producer, Terrance Wakeland murders various Black women. Their recorded voices are his trophies and, to cover his tracks, he makes them seem like hate crimes.
Although he receives comparisons to Jeffrey Dahmer (in regards to his confidence), it's definitely misguided. His "business card" is described as not being believable and, upon his arrest, he benignly asks if it's related to the girls who had gone missing. His arrogance and sense of superiority are can come across as comedic (albeit very uncomfortably).
3 Terrifying: Anita And Roger Roycewood
Anita and Roger Roycewood are a pair of serial killers who abduct children and raise them as their own. As soon as the children get too old or misbehave, they are burned in a crematorium. The worst part? The duo own a funeral home, so they manage to stay under the radar.
Not a lot is known about the Roycewoods and their motivations. Not only is that unnerving in itself, but it also makes the viewer realize that, sometimes, people don't need a reason to commit crimes.
2 Unintentionally Hilarious: Floyd Feylinn Ferell
Floyd Ferell is a cannibal who murdered sex workers to serve them up in his BBQ restaurant. Want to know how this gets worse? When the local priest assures Floyd that "God is in all of us," the latter responds, "So is Tracey Lambert," revealing that he served one of his victims to her search party.
This villain is portrayed as darkly hilarious through Jamie Kennedy's masterful acting. His laugh at the priest's horrified reaction is unnerving and uncomfortably funny.
1 Terrifying: George Foyet
Also known as The Boston Reaper, George Foyet is the embodiment of a nightmare. A narcissistic psychopath, he murdered his parents as a child before going on a murder spree in the mid-1980s.
He got immense pleasure from watching the unraveling of the various FBI officers who got involved in his case (including Agent Aaron Hotchner, whose wife he goes on to murder). As someone not scared of harming himself to get the results he wants, George Foyet is unforgettable as a villain.
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